Each ship does on-board surveys. Thousands and thousands of them. That data is used to "sell" the ship to all the islands and ports when the time comes to put future stops out for bid. Not all ships and passengers are created equal. Just like conventions. The teachers might spend at one level and the cardiologist and the drug companies with them another.

If you dig into the actual reports. The BVI thinks the cruise ships are providing for more than 500 and less than 1,000 jobs across all the islands.

Here is the type of data gathered from passengers and there is also real data from the excursions sold directly on the ships before the ship hits the dock.


The passenger and crew surveys were designed to collect data for onshore spending and visit satisfaction by both passengers and crew. While the crew survey was slightly shorter than the passenger survey, both surveys were designed to collect the following information:


- hours spent ashor

- expenditures by category, including shore tours, food & beverages, clothing, etc.;

-visit satisfaction, including shore tour, friendliness of residents, prices, shopping,
etc.;

- likelihood of returning for a land-based vacation; and


- demographic characteristics, including country of residence, age group, income, etc.

This is all very mature sophisticated business with each ship and cruise company selling each visit of each ship to the cruise operators advantage. The cruise ship companies with their completely mobile infrastructure and passengers control all the cards.